Alternative name: Two-barred Crossbill
- Loxia leucoptera
Identification
Male
- Rich carmine color inclining to crimson
- Dark reddish-brown feet
- Dusky-colored feathers and tail
- Two broad white wing bars
- Brownish sides
Female
- Dusky upper parts
- Yellowish-gray under parts streaked and dusky
- Wings and tail similar to male, but paler
Immature
Resembles female, but under parts are dull yellowish gray, spotted and streaked in dark brown
Distribution
The nominate subspecies breeds in northern North America from Alaska to eastern Canada and northern USA while subspecies bifasciata breeds in northern Europe and Asia. Winters a little farther south.
Taxonomy
Subspecies
There are two subspecies[1]:
- L. l. bifasciata:
- Coniferous forests of northern Eurasia
- L. l. leucoptera:
- North-central Alaska to Newfoundland, Canada and northern US
Habitat
Almost entirely spruce forests.
Behaviour
This is one of several species of Crossbills and other birds that exhibit eruptive behavior: they may be resident for several years in a breeding area but are then induced by unfavorable environmental factors to migrate in numbers to areas in which they otherwise are absent.
Diet
The diet includes pine nuts extracted from cones using their bill adapted for prying.
References
- Clements, JF. 2011. The Clements Checklist of Birds of the World. 6th ed., with updates to August 2011. Ithaca: Cornell Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0801445019. Spreadsheet available at http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/downloadable-clements-checklist
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) White-winged Crossbill. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 19 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/White-winged_Crossbill
